Horse owners find ways to stretch limited hay supplies

By Kylene Orebaugh

A horse owner walks into the feed store to get a few bales of alfalfa for several head of horses. The manager tells the customer, "I'm sorry, we are out of alfalfa right now. I am not even sure when we will get our next load."

Exasperated, the customer questions, "Do you know of anyone who has alfalfa? I need something to feed to my horses." The customer leaves the feedstore in a half-panic, wondering if the half bale of alfalfa at home in the barn is going to last until another supply can be found.

Scenarios like this one have played out in many states across the western United States late in 2006 and early 2007. Drought, blizzards, freeze and other conditions have proven tough on horse owners as well as livestock producers to find suitable feed for their animals.

Why is alfalfa so important?

Alfalfa is an important feedstuff for all facets of the agricultural world, especially for dairy producers, beef cattle operations and horse owners. It has a high feeding value as compared to many other hays, along with high calcium and protein content. It is highly digestible and packed with nutrients.

"Alfalfa is a good forage type for horses because it is nutrient-dense; that is, it has a high concentration of nutrients such as protein, digestible energy and calcium compared to other forages," Karen Hansen with the Equine Science Department at Colorado State University said. "Due to the nutrient density of alfalfa hay and processed alfalfa (cubes and pellets), this forage must be fed with good management skills to prevent overfeeding and possible digestive disorders."

Hansen suggests the following:

--Introducing alfalfa in small portions and working up to larger portions over the span of a week or more;

--Measure hay by weight and not volume;

--Keep an animal's body condition score at a 5, and do not over feed. For more information about body condition scores visit http://equineextension.colostate.edu/content/view/174/57/

Nutritional recommendations

Hansen said producers need to try not to feed less than 1 percent of the horse's weight in good, clean, long-stemmed (hay) forage per day.

"This will give the horse the fiber that will optimize digestive health," Hansen said. "For an average riding horse that weighs 1,100 pounds, that would be 11 pounds per day."

Then to save some of that expensive hay, she suggests a couple of things.

"If producers will feed in a feeder and split that forage in two feedings, less of that expensive (and possibly unavailable) feed will be lost," Hansen said. "I know that is labor intensive, but you do not want to waste any feed."

The levels fed also depend on what the horse is doing, Hansen said, and most of the time, nutrient needs can be met with 1.5 to 2.5 percent of the horse's body weight in total feedstuff per day.

"If a mature horse is in good condition and not working, the 1 percent of an alfalfa hay or just slightly over 1 percent may meet nutrient needs with the addition of trace-mineralized salt (and water, of course)," Hansen said. "If the horse is working, in late pregnancy, in early lactation, or a young growing horse then a supplement to the hay would need to be added."

Supplemental feedstuffs can include such things as grain mixes, complete feeds or even additional forage that is processed--such as hay cubes or pellets.

"Nutritionists would not recommend feeding less than 1 percent of the daily ration in forage; or usually greater than 50 percent of the ration in a grain mix concentrate," Hansen noted. "High grain rations may be associated with various digestive disorders."

So, to keep the fiber in the diet, even with the limited hay supply, Hansen suggested to look for another source of forage. Cubed or pelleted forages, or a complete feed with forages in it could fit the bill.

"Complete feeds will contain at least 18 percent crude fiber on the tag and be labeled as such," Hansen said.

In case of forage shortages

For horses, roughages must make up a large part of their diet. But what happens when alfalfa hay is short? Can other things be substituted to get horses through a rough patch? Yes, there are other roughages out there, that can replace alfalfa in a horse's diet.

"Pelleted or cubed hay is usually a standardized good quality forage that is just put in another form compared to baled hay," Hansen said. "Pellets or cubes must be fed by weight and not by volume (just like baled hay), and certainly should be fed in a feeder in two or more feedings per day. Pelleted and cubed hay may be eaten fast by greedy eaters, so those horses should certainly have multiple feedings (maybe three times per day) and spread feed out in a shallow feeder."

Pelleted and cubed hay may be a good alternative if available in a producer's area, and may be affordable.

Replacements for alfalfa to totally or partially replace pasture in a horse diet include:

--Grass hays such as timothy, brome, orchardgrass, prairie, etc..

--Bermudagrass hay which is mainly imported from southern states of U.S., and has similar nutrition as other grass hays.

--Millet hay which usually has some millet grain in it. It has less nutritional value than grass hays and may have a laxative effect if only roughage fed.

--Alfalfa hay cubes which are alfalfa that has been chopped and cubed. It has similar nutritional value as alfalfa hay.

--Alfafla/timothy hay cubes which are a combination of alfalfa and timothy. It has less protein and calcium than straight alfalfa, but more than plain timothy.

--Dehydrated alfalfa pellets which is pelleted alfalfa hay, with similar nutrition as alfalfa hay.

--Complete feeds which often contain a mixture of grains and roughage sources, and are designed to be fed without hay. It should contain at least 15 percent fiber if no hay is fed, but nutritionists do not recommend no hay being fed. Horses must have forage.

--Haylage is hay preserved by ensiling rather than traditional drying. It has a higher moisture content, so it can spoil or mold quicker.

--Oat hay which has a nutritional value similar to grass hays.

--Straw, of which oat straw is more palatable than wheat or barley straw. It is bulky and high fiber, but low in nutrients and requires protein supplementation.

--Beet pulp which is a good source of highly digestible fiber and relatively high in calcium. It may require soaking before feeding, and should be limited to 10 pounds dry or less.

--Soy hulls which are high in fiber, but more digestible than other hulls.

As long as a horse is receiving a minimum of 1 percent of its body weight per day as hay or some other high fiber roughage (18 percent crude fiber or greater), the rest of the diet can be made up of lower fiber feeds, according to CSU. Other things that can be used as moderate fiber sources include: Rice bran, wheat bran, "pack" cube, and oats.

Alfalfa pointers

Hansen said the primary thing to look for in any hay for horses is that it is good quality--it was put up properly with appropriate moisture and stored properly.

"Producers should never feed hay that is dusty or moldy to horses due to the chances of digestive and respiratory disorders," Hansen said.

Many types of hay can be fed to horses, but more nutrient dense hays, such as alfalfa, may be more appropriate for horses that have greater nutrient needs. Nutrient dense hays can be fed to all classes of horses in the proportion that they need to meet their requirements.

"Producers will have to be diligent and search for good hay, and based on 2006, probably will have to be prepared to pay more for hay than in past years," Hansen said.

Hansen noted that this year, just as in other years in the past there have been shortages of all types of good forage, not just alfalfa. However, the weather thus far in 2007 is giving hay producers and buyers hope that hay will be easier to locate.

"Alfalfa is more available in some areas of the country, which makes the price more affordable than other types of forages due to larger supplies," she said.

Kylene Orebaugh can be reached by phone at 620-227-1804 or by e-mail at korebaugh@hpj.com.

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6/4/07

Date: 5/31/07

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